


The Eve of Battle

by MissCeles



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, hurt/comfort is my jam but that means corrin's gotta hurt first :c, poor corrin bb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-26 04:35:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12051444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCeles/pseuds/MissCeles
Summary: The night before the party faces Anankos, Corrin's fears and anxieties keep her awake. Thankfully, she has Leo beside her.





	The Eve of Battle

Corrin's heart raced almost as quickly as her tears began to fall. Big, hot tears sliding down her cheeks and onto her hands, which she was desperately using to try and wipe them away. She choked back sobs, and grabbed blindly at a pillow to try and muffle the noise she was making. 

There was a gentle stirring beside her, and the bed creaked as her husband sat up beside her. Corrin turned away as Leo lit the lamp that always sat beside them, his eyes full of concern.

“Corrin?” he asked softly. “Corrin, are you hurt? What's wrong?”

Corrin shook her head, unable to find the right words to speak. _What was wrong_ , he asked. She was incompetent as a leader and was going to end up getting her comrades, her friends – her _family_ – killed the next day. It had haunted her for weeks now, looming over her with a presence as powerful as the sun itself. It had crept into her dreams, too. Images of dead loved ones permeated her nights over and over again. At the thought, Corrin's breath hitched in her throat, which seemed to constrict until she could barely breathe. Her heart beat even faster than before, and tears continued to fall onto shaking hands.

“Corrin, please breathe. Focus on the sound of my voice,” Leo's voice was commanding and yet gentle. He grasped hold of her hands, and slowly lifted them to press against his heart. “Breathe in, and breathe out. Listen to my voice. Feel my heartbeat. Feel nothing but me, hear nothing but me. Breathe.”

Corrin's breath was shuddering, heaving, and difficult, but it was breath – and as she struggled to breathe she curled her hands into fists, and brought her forehead down onto Leo's shoulder. Leo released her hands at once, and crushed her against him, running a hand through her long silver locks and pressing gentle kisses to her temple. 

Moments seemed to drag on. Leo kept whispering to her fervently, and Corrin's breathing started to slow. She felt as though the world was swaying around her – and clutched onto Leo even more, clinging to him as a rock. 

When the attack seemed to have subsided, she pulled away from Leo, still sniffling and shaking. Leo's eyes were full of concern, but with more relief than earlier – he gave her a weak smile, and leaned forward to kiss her forehead with a gentleness that none but Corrin had seen in him. He pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes, and took her hands once more, clutching them between their bodies.

“I know you're frightened, Corrin,” he said in a low voice, opening his eyes to stare deep into hers. “But know that I'm with you. I swore to be by your side, always, until death do us part – and even beyond that. Let me be your strength. We'll make it through this. I swear it.”

“Leo...” Corrin's voice was hoarse from crying. “But what if -”

“Don't focus on that,” Leo urged, parting their foreheads and smiling softly. “Focus on _this_. Focus on us, right now, and on the people you've guided safely thus far. Inside this castle are dozens upon dozens of people who trust and love you – as I do. Have faith in that. Have faith in the fact that we will win tomorrow's fight – and then, we will come home, and live our lives in peace. This war is almost over, Corrin, and we _will_ win.”

Corrin let out a deep breath, and steadied herself. The world wasn't spinning as much as it was, and the sense of fear that had gripped her was subsiding – not entirely, but little by little. “Do you really think we can win?”

“I know we can,” Leo's voice was steady. “I believe in what you've built. I _have_ to believe. I believe in the cause we fight for, in the future we're building. We will end this war. We will bring peace to this world. I – admit that I once thought peace between Nohr and Hoshido to be a fanciful dream. A dream that would be wonderful if true, but – just a dream. You've taught me better. You've shown us all that it's possible. I believe in the world that you're going to create – the one we are creating day by day, together.”

Corrin's lips curved into a tiny smile. She brought a hand up to cup his cheek. “I couldn't do any of it without you,” she admitted, and pressed her lips to his softly. Leo slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer, and wove a hand into her hair, kissing her back lovingly, melting under her touch. 

“Mama?” came a small voice, heavy with sleep. Corrin and Leo jumped apart, and the pair turned to where Kana stood at the doorway, rubbing tired eyes and holding a candle. Forrest stood behind, wrapped in a shawl with a hand on Kana's shoulder. “I heard crying and I got scared, so I got Forrest up and we came here. What's wrong? Are you alright, mama?”

“Yes,” Corrin's voice was more assured than before. Her smile widened at the sight of her sons, and her hand found Leo's, squeezing it. _This_ was their future, after all – their beautiful, kind children, who came running when they thought she may have been upset. 

“Your mother just had a nightmare,” Leo explained calmly. “It happens to everyone, but she's going to be alright now.” 

“Oh,” Kana said, biting his lip and looking with concern at his mother. “Can I come give you a hug?”

“Of course,” Corrin laughed, opening her arms. As Kana ran to embrace her, clambering onto the bed and setting himself down right between his parents, Corrin glanced past him to look at her older son. “You too, Forrest.”

Blushing slightly, Forrest joined his family on the bed, pulling his mother into a hug soon joined by Kana, and then Leo. Corrin's fear seemed almost forgotten now, and her heart seemed to glow at the presence of her family – of the people she loved so, so dearly. 

“We'll be alright, Corrin,” Leo whispered again, and leaned over both of their sons to press a chaste kiss to her lips. “I swear it.”

Corrin nodded slowly, and let out a long breath. Truth be told, she wasn't sure she'd feel truly alright until the battle was over and done – but as Leo had said, she just had to believe. She had to believe she'd be in the arms of these people once more.

**Author's Note:**

> My second published Leo/Corrin ficlet! I imagine that Corrin deals with a lot of anxiety during the story, and that Leo's learned over time how to calm down her attacks and what works for her :) 
> 
> My love for these two will never end. ;o;


End file.
